Collider recently caught up with actor Nathan Fillion to discuss the second season of the Monsters at Work animated series and naturally, the conversation turned towards Fillion's upcoming role as Green Lantern Guy Gardner in James Gunn's forthcoming Superman reboot.
It seems Fillion learned fairly early on that he was going to be portraying the cockiest Green Lantern on Earth as Gunn disclosed the news during the premiere of The Suicide Squad.
"We were actually at the premiere party after Suicide Squad and he was in a huge crowd of people. We saw each other in the crowd and I congratulated him, ‘Oh, my God, that was amazing. It’s so great.’ He goes, ‘Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we’ve got for you next?’ I said, ‘No, he hasn’t said.’ He looked around like someone was gonna be listening. We were in a throng of people, but he leaned over and said, ‘You’re gonna be Guy Gardner.’"
On July 30, 2021, The Suicide Squad had its theatrical premiere in the United Kingdom. Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly formed DC Studios in November 2022, while Fillion wasn't formally cast as Guy Gardner until July 12, 2023.
When it comes to playing Guy Gardner, Fillion thinks he's perfect for Gardner because of how the character typically acts in the pages of DC Comics.
Guy Gardner has a reputation for being a somewhat gruff Green Lantern. Due to his tendency to act without thinking first, he frequently causes problems for his fellow Lanterns, John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and Kyle Rayner.
Although both his friends and enemies have characterized Gardner as brash, conceited, and impetuous, there is more to him than meets the eye. He has a strong sense of morality and willpower that is second only to Hal's.
The flawed nature of Gardner is what attracted Fillion to the role, it seems.
"The reality is that people have flaws. We all have quirks. We all have vulnerabilities. You could have the most wonderful family, but be like, ‘Oh, my God, my dad drives me nuts. He’s got this one thing.’ Everybody’s got something, and I love to lean into those faults and flaws. It’s what makes people real and what allows audiences to relate, because we all know what that is. We all have our own. We witness it in other people. Guy Gardner is 90% flawed and doesn’t care. That’s one of his flaws. I think there’s a real freedom in playing that. So, for a guy who likes to play flaws and flawed people, Guy Gardner is a gold mine."
The James Gunn-directed (and written) film stars David Corenswet as Kal-El/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.
Rounding out the cast are Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Terence Rosemore as Otis, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Additionally, Nicholas Hoult has been confirmed by Gunn to portray Lex Luthor in the film. Milly Alcock was also recently cast as Supergirl and is also expected (but unconfirmed) to appear in Legacy, as well.
More recently Pruitt Taylor Vince was cast as Jonathan 'Pa' Kent, while Neva Howell signed on to play Martha 'Ma' Kent.
Currently set for release on July 11, 2025, Superman: Legacy Superman is the first film in Gunn's reboot of the DCEU.